With that amount of warm weather your bluegill are probably beginning their spawn! If you fed them all year last year even if they were just 2-3 inch fingerlings when stocked, with supplemental feedings all year last year they should def be large enough to start spawning. Bluegill begin spawning habits at 65 degrees. Some small ponds much further north than you have already reached 65 degrees depending on depth of pond etc. small ponds typically warm up much faster than larger BOW. If they haven’t begun spawning they are feeding up for the prespawn and typically will still be taking pellets. They shouldn’t stop accepting pellets until they start protecting their beds. Once on the beds they won’t go too far to find food like pellets unless it floats right over top of their bed.
I would begin considering what you are going to use to control your bluegill population. If half of those 500 bluegill spawn you are going to have thousands this year with no predation. If stock fingerling predators they should only be eating the offspring of the bluegill and the fat head minnows it is probably about the right time to add.
What are your goals for the pond and what apex predators are you considering to help manage your pond? LMB, SMB, Walleye, HSB?!?
